Improvement in life-boats



2 Sheets--Sheet1.

J. ADAMS. Life-Boats.

,883. PatentedSeptemberlfi,1873

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

JOHN ADAMS, OF GLOUCESTER, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN LIFE-BOATS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 142,883, dated September 16, 1873; application filed December 13, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN ADAMS, of Gloucester, county of Camden and State of New Jersey, have invented-a new and useful Iniprovement in Life-Boats; and I do hereby declare the following to be a clear and exact description of the nature thereof, sufficient to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to fully understand, make, and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings making 'part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a top or plan view of the device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side view thereof, partly broken away. Fig. 3 is a bottom view thereof. Fig. 4 is a transverse section.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention consists in a life-boat, the construction and operation of which will be hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings, A A represent the boat, which is constructed of two bodies, A A, each of which consists of a buoyant hull formed with air-tight compartments B O D, which bodies are united to each other at the points E F, the same being from gunwales E to'bilge F, so that there is produced a boat having four bilges, G G G G. H represents, in each body, a portion of the deck which is sunken below the gunwales E, and forms spaces or cock-pits J. Two of the compartments, B D, for each hull are at the ends thereof, and the other compartment, 0, at the middle, the compartments being closed on all sides; but the center compartments are accessible by means of hatchways, the hatches K of which are adapted to fit snugly and tightly in place, the joints being water and air tight.

'It will be seen that the boat has great breadth of beam, so that if it ships seas it cannot capsize or fill, but will free itself.

The end compartments are air-tight, and serve to increase buoyancy of the boat. The center compartments are designed as receptacles for provisions; and the hatchways thereof will be closely and tightly covered by the hatches K, but are readily accessible and opened for entrance to the said provisioncompartments.

The cock-pits afford ample room for the re-' ception and protection of the occupants of the boat, for storage of sails, oars, &c., and places for readily manning and managing or rowing and sailing the boat.

The boat may be easily launched from ships deck or ships crane, and'as reliably as boats in general use, but without the danger or liability of capsizing or filling alongside of the ship.

Scuppers may be applied to the gunwales to free the cock-pits or decks of water.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The life boat constructed as herein described, consisting of the double hull A A, united from gunwale to bilge, and provided with the aii-compartments B D at the ends to increase the buoyancy, and the central compartments (l, furnished with air-tight hatches K, to serve as receptacles for provisions, all as herein shown and described.

The above signed by me this 27th day of November, 1872.

JOHN ADAMS.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. WIEDERSHEIM, JACOB E. ScHIEDT. 

